A person who is always hungry and so gluttonous that he could devour grass, candles… even living cats. He became the subject of many scientific experiments, yet the mystery of his “bottomless stomach” remains unsolved.
Innate Gluttony
Charles Domery was born in 1778 in Benche, Poland, which was then occupied by Prussia. As one of nine siblings, he had an unusual characteristic compared to his brothers and sisters: he was extremely gluttonous, always tormented by hunger.
Despite his abnormal hunger, Domery was a healthy young man, over 1.9 meters tall, with a well-proportioned body. He did not suffer from any mental illnesses and, although illiterate, was gifted with average intelligence. Little is known about what happened to his brothers, but there are intriguing accounts of Domery’s extraordinary life.
The world first learned of Domery’s terrifying appetite when he was 13 years old and served in the Prussian army. At that time, Prussia was fighting France in the War of the First Coalition (1792 – 1797). In the military, Domery noticed that the soldiers’ rations were insufficient.
Even after his commander had doubled his rations, Domery was still tormented by hunger. Unable to bear it any longer, he decided to desert and join the enemy forces, the French, in hopes of better meals.
However, after a few days of fullness, hunger quickly returned, and Domery could not satisfy his insatiable stomach, even after spending his own money to buy additional food. Driven by desperation, Domery was reportedly eating cat meat along with several kilograms of grass almost every day when he could not find other food.
Domery preferred raw meat, particularly beef liver as his favorite. Even more shockingly, while serving on the French ship Hoche, he almost resorted to cannibalism. His comrades had to struggle to pull a sailor’s leg out of Domery’s mouth, which had been severed by a cannonball. They immediately threw the piece of meat overboard.
Many believed that after consuming such unsanitary food, Domery would fall ill. However, his health remained good even after eating raw meat and large amounts of grass. His heart rate and body temperature were said to be normal; his eyes were bright, and his tongue was always clean.
It was observed that shortly after going to bed, usually around 8 PM, Domery would start sweating profusely. After 1-2 hours, he would fall asleep, only to wake around 1 AM feeling very hungry, despite having eaten before bed. At that time, he would consume any available food, then return to sleep until about 5-6 AM, drenched in sweat.
A Special Prisoner
Illustration depicting Domery’s gluttony.
In February 1799, a tragedy occurred on the Hoche in Liverpool, England, when it was captured by British forces. Domery and his comrades were taken prisoner and held in a prison near Liverpool. During his captivity, Domery continued to shock his captors with his gluttony and astonishing eating habits.
During this time, the daily rations for French prisoners included 56 grams of bread, 200 grams of vegetables, and 56 grams of butter or 170 grams of cheese. Additionally, they were provided with some rations of beer, diluted rum, and occasionally tea.
However, once again, these rations were inadequate for Domery. This led him to consume even the spare candles, at least 20 rats, and cats in the cell. Sometimes, Domery even ate leftover medicines from the infirmary and swallowed them down with water or his beer rations.
After discovering Domery’s insatiable hunger and unique eating habits, the British military decided to double his rations. His insatiable appetite caused his portions to increase continuously until they matched the daily intake of 10 men.
Stunned by what they observed, the British invited two doctors to conduct examinations. At 4 AM during one of these tests, Domery was fed 1.8 kilograms of raw beef udder, which he consumed without issue.
About 5 hours later, he was served 2.2 kilograms of raw beef, 12 large candles, and a bottle of dark beer. Once again, Domery consumed all of this without difficulty.
The doctors reported that he was healthy in all tests. While most others might have vomited with such a quantity of food, Domery was said to be in good spirits and went outside to smoke casually.
To this day, no one can explain Domery’s excessive eating habits. Although there is a medical condition called hyperphagia, where individuals experience abnormal hunger, it is known not to be as severe as what Domery experienced.
This has led some experts to speculate whether he had suffered from brain damage. However, what happened to Domery after the experiments remains unknown.
